Refrigerating apparatus



Aug. 4, 1936. R. R. CANDOR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS F iled Jan. 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3. M f a INVENTOR. Pam-wi- 7F. CAM/00P- HIS ,-\TT()RNEY5.

Aug. 4, 1936. R. R. CANDOR REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 23, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w: ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 4, 1 936 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Robert R. Candor, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application January 23, 1935, Serial No. 3,136

13 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to means for removin moisture, dripping from a cooling element or evaporator of a refrigerator, from the refrigerating apparatus.

Various devices have been provided for collecting and removing moisture dripping from an evaporator in a refrigerator in which the machinery compartment is located below the food storage compartment. In such devices moisture has been conducted by gravity to the machine compartment where it may be dissipated or removed therefrom in several different ways.

,It has now become very common in the construction of mechanical refrigerators to locate the machinery compartment above the food storage compartment and in such constructions the moisture dripping from the evaporator of the refrigerating system cannot be removed from thefood 'compartment as has been the practice. Therefore a suitable conducting or lifting means or device must be provided while at the same time preventing heat leak from the food compartment.

An object of the.present, invention is to remove moisture dripping from the cooling element of a refrigerating system by means of a device ofthe osmotic type.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means or device for causing moisture dripping from a cooling element of a refrigerating apparatus to be conducted or to flow away from the cooling element, without mechanical pumping means, to a point where it may be removed from the apparatus under conditions where gravity drainage is not available.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means or device for causing drip water flowing from a cooling element of arefrig crating apparatus to be lifted or conducted upwardly of'the food storage. compartment into a machine compartment located thereabove and which device forms a liquid seal between the two compartments and prevents theescape of cold air from the food compartment.

In carrying out the foregoing objects ,it is a still further object of the invention to provide an osmotic device which itself constitutes a seal for preventing circulation of air from the food storage compartment.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a. preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet of the top unit type having my invention incorporated therein Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig; 1 showing a modified form of my invention; 5 Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectionalview of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, there is shown a refrigerator cabi-v net, generally d'esignated by the reference charactor 20, of the top unit type having the food 16 compartment 2| in its lower portion and a machinery compartment 22 in its upper portion. The food compartment 2| is surrounded by insulating walls 23 upon which rests a removable insulated wall 24 which separates the food compartment 2| from the machinery compartment 22. The food compartment '2| is provided with the usual access door found in conventional refrigerators. Upon the upper portion of the removable wall 24 there is mounted a compressor 25 of a refrigerating system installed in the cabinet 20. The compressor 25 compresses refrigerant of the system and forwards the compressed refrigerant through a conduit 26 to an air cooled condenser 21 where the compressed refrigerant is cooled and liquefied and collected in a receiver 28. Liquid refrigerant is forwarded from receiver 28 through a. supply conduit 29 to a cooling element or evaporator 30 which is suspended from the removable top insulated wall 24 and located in the food storage compartment 2|. Liquid refrigerant in evaporator 30 vaporizes, because of the absorption of heat from compartment 2|, and is returned to or drawn into the compressor 25 through the refrigerant return conduit 3|. An electric motor 32, connected through suitable belt and pulley means 33, is employed for driving the compressor 25. The electric motor 32 also drives or operates a centrifugal fan or blower (not shown) enclosed in a shroud 35. The inlet 36 to the shroud 35 permits the fan or blower to draw air, entering the machine compartment 22, through openings or louvers 31 provided in a wall thereof, into the interior of the shroud. The

fan or blower forces the air through the outlet 50 nozzle or conduit 38 of shroud 35 and thence outwardly of the compartment 22 through openings or louvers 39 provided in a wall of compartment 22 opposite the wall thereof in which the openings 31 are.located. The circulation of air through the machinery compartment 22, as described, is utilized for cooling the compressed refrigerant in condenser 21 and for another purpose to be hereinafter described. A partition or baffle member 4| extends from the bottom to thetop and entirely across the interior of compartment 22 and has an opening 42 provided therein through which the outlet or nozzle end 38 of shroud 35 extends. This partition 4| is for the purpose of insuring that substantially all or a suitable amount of the air circulated through the machine compartment will flow through the ou and causes the motor to stop when the evaporator reaches a predetermined low temperature limit.

Inasmuch as the evaporator 30 is at a lower temperature than the air in the food compartment 2| during operation of the apparatus moisture will collect upon walls of the evaporator. If the evaporator is maintained below a freezing temperature at all times this moisture will collect on the walls thereof in the form of frost. The frost acts as an insulator around or over the surfaces of the evaporator and reduces the efficiency of the refrigerating system. In order to maintain high efiiciency of the refrigerating system under this condition it is necessary to defrost or permit the evaporator to increase in temperature above 32 F. periodically so as to melt or remove the insulating blanket of frost therefrom. This may be accomplished by various operations and, for example, the refrigerating system may be rendered inoperative for a period of time to allow the evaporator to increase in temperature considerably above freezing temperature so that the frost will melt and flow therefrom. In order to collect the drip water flowing from the evaporator 30 I employ a drip water collecting means in the form of a receptacle or pan 41. The pan- 41 is spaced from the evaporator 30 and is supported therebelow upon a shelf 48. The pan 4'! is provided with a depressed portion 49 which-serves for a purpose to be hereinafter described. If, on the other hand, the evaporator 30 is maintained during a portion of the cycles of the refrigerating apparatus, at a temperature above 32 F. any frost accumulated thereon will melt therefrom and some moisture collecting thereon will merely condense without being frozen and this moisture or drip water will also be collected in the pan 41.

In order to remove the moisture or drip water from pan 41 and to conduct or cause the waterto be lifted upwardly of the pan 4'! and the cooling element or evaporator 30 I provide a drip water removing means in the form of an osmotic device generally designated by the reference character 51}. This water removing means or osmotic device 50 is rendered effective for lifting or conducting the drip water away by the so-called osmosis principle. Osmosis is a kind of diffusion which takes place between two miscible fluids separated by a permeable or semi-permeable partition or diaphragm such, for example, as an animal membrane and which tends to equalization of the conditions on the twosides of the partition. The removing means or osmotic device 50 includes an open top receptacle or pan 5| mounted on the upper side of the removable compartment wall 24, adjacent to the outlet end 38 of shroud 35, and directly in the path of air adapted to be discharged from the shroud by the fan or blower contained therein. A vertically disposed pipe or conduit 52 is connected to the bottom of pan 5| and extends downwardly therefrom into the'food compartment 2|. Receptacle or pan 5| and pipe 52 are preferably constructed of non-metallic material of low heat'conductivity so as to minimize transference of heat into the refrigerated food compartment of the cabinet. The pipe or conduit 52 has an enlarged bottom end 53 (see Fig. 3) over which a permeable or semi-permeable diaphragm member 54 is placed. The diaphragm 54 may be in the form of a cup having the portion 55 thereof fitting over the side walls of the enlarged bottom end 53 of pipe 52 and clamped thereto by any suitable clamping arrangement generally designated by the reference character 56. The pipe 52 and the pan 5| of the osmotic device 50 is filled with a liquid 58 of a type to be hereinafter more fully described. It will be noted (see'Fig. 3) that the end 53 of pipe 52 having the diaphragm 54 secured thereto extends slightly below the bottom of pan 4'! so as to be positioned in the drip water which flows from pan 4'! into the depressed portion 49 thereof.

The osmotic agent, in pan 5| and conduit 52 of the water removing device 50, is preferably by a non-volatile and a substantially non-evaporative substance such,.for example, as sugar. The sugar is dissolved in water to form a liquid solution commonly referred to assimple sirup. Other osmotic agents such as salts, etc., contained in a liquid and forming a brine solution may be employed in the device or'means 50, if desired. The

A diaphragm 54, which holds the osmotic solution cr liquid 58 in the device 50, may be formed of v the membrane or skin found between the shell and the contents of an egg. Other material such, for example, as animal hides or skins may also be used in providing a suitable diaphragm or membrane which will prevent passage therethrough of certain liquids while at the same time permitting the passage therethrough of certain other liquids. The material forming the bladder of certain animals is particularly well-known as being suitable for forming a permeable or semipermeable partition or diaphragm of an osmotic device.

Having described the construction and arrangement of the osmotic device disclosed and the material used therein, I will now proceed with a description of its function. When the level of drip water in the portion 49 of pan 4'| rises to a point, whereby the water contacts the diaphragm or membrane, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, adifius'ion or ex-osmosis of the drip water into the simple-sirup solution 58, through the.

membrane 54,-occurs and the water flows into solution 58. Operations of the refrigerating apparatus, mounted in the machine compartment 22, causesv air, circulated. by the fan or blower located within the shroud 35, to flow over the surface of the liquid 58 in the pan 5| and moisture is absorbedor evaporated by the air from' the liquid 58. The osmotic agent employed, of course remains in solution during removal of the water therefrom. The evaporated or removed moisture is circulated along with air through the louvers 39 outwardly of and away from the refrigerator cabinet. As the moisture is evaporated or drawn into the air from the surface of liquid 58 more water or moisture willflow to the surface of the liquid 58 to take its place as long as there is suflicient drip water in the pan 4! The osmotic device 68 to contact the membrane 5B. The osmosis action of the device 58 of course stops after the level of the drip water is lowered to a point spaced from the vmembrane 54. In this way drip water is osmotically removed from the pan 41 without the users attention. The pan 31 is kept free of drip water and the air within the food storage compartment is maintained in a pure condition. The osmotic device 58 removes drip water from pan- 41 and conducts this water to the exterior of the food compartment while at the same time forming a seal for preventing air circulation outwardly of the food compartment.

All the elements of the refrigerating apparatus shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings are like those described and shown in Fig. I, but the osmotic water removing device is of a modified form. shown in Fig. 2 includes an open top receptacle or pan 6i mounted on thee upper surface of the removable top wall 24 of the cabinet 28. A pipe or conduit 62 is connected with the receptacle 6i and extends downwardly into the food compartment 2|. The lower end of pipe 62 is provided with a horizontally extending neck portion 63 which has its opening capped or closed by a membrane of thetype herein previously described. The membrane 54 in the osmotic device 60 is therefore vertically positioned horizontally as in the device 58. In the form of the osmotic device indicated at 60 there is a par-' titioning member 64 centrally positioned in the conduit 62 (see Figs. 2 and 3) for dividing the major portion of the length of conduit 62 into two passages 65 and 66 respectively. The divider 64 extends from the bottom of pan 6! to a point spaced from the bottom of tube 62 and isolates the column of liquid 58 in passage 66. If the osmotic device 68 is located closely adjacent the cooling element 38 so that the passage 65 is turned toward the cooling element the liquid 58 therein will, due to the cooling effect produced by the cooling element, tend to flow downwardly. The liquid 58 in passage 66 being of a slightly higher temperature than the liquid in passage 65, because of its position relative to the cooling element 30, will tend to flow upward thus establishing a circulation in the device 88. This circulation causes flow of the liquid 58 relative to the permeable or semi-permeable surface of the membrane 54 and insures the return ofthe -"osmotic agent to a point adjacent the membrane 54 to increase the efiectivenessof the osmosis action of the device 68. Water is therefore effectively removed from the pan 4! and the osmosis action together with the circulation established in the device will more rapidly convey the water to the surface of thesolution 58. v

It is to be understood that the drip water is removed or evaporated from the surface of the liquid 58 in the osmotic device 88 in the same manner as in the osmotic water removing device or means 50. It is also to be understoodthat the drip water collector or pan 4! in either of the apparatuses disclosed is preferably removably mounted within the food compartment 21 to enable same 'to' be removed when it is desired or necessary to clean various foreign particles from the permeable surface of the membrane 54. Thus it will be seen that I have provided an osmotic device or means which forms a liquid seal for preventing the escape of cold air from the food compartment to the exterior thereof and which device at the same time effectively removes drip water upwardly of the water collecting means and permits its dissipation or evaporation into air externally of the refrigerator cabinet.

While the forms of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes preferred forms,

it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, means for cooling air adapted to flow thereover, said cooling means being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling means, and osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of said collecting'means.

2. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, means for cooling air adapted to flow thereover, said cooling means being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling means, osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of said collecting means, and means for removing the drip water from the apparatus after it has been conducted upwardly of the collecting means.

3. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, means for cooling air adapted to flow thereover, said cooling means being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling means, osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of said collecting means, and means for directing air over a portion of said osmotic means to remove the conducted drip water therefrom.

4. Refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet having an insulated food compartment therein and a machinery compartment insulated from and located above the food compartment, a refrigerating system including a refrigerant circulating means in the machinery compartment and a cooling element in the food compartment, said cooling element being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, an osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of the cooling element and out of the food compartment.

5. A refrigerating apparatus including an insulated food storage compartment, a cooling element of a closed' refrigerating system positioned within said compartment, said cooling element being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling element, and osmotic means for conducting the drip water from said collecting means to the exterior of said food compartment. I

' 6. A refrigerating apparatus including an insulated food storage compartment. a cooling element of a closed refrigerating system positioned within said compartment, said cooling element being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling element, and osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of said collecting means and said cooling element to the exterior of said food compartment.

combination, means for. cooling air adapted to flow thereover, said cooling means being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture 7. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in dripping therefrom, and osmotic means for conducting the drip water away from said cooling means.

8. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, means for cooling air adapted to flow thereover, said cooling means being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling means, and osmotic means for conducting the drip water from said collecting means.

9. A refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet having an insulated food compartment therein and a machinery compartment insulated from and located above the food compartment, a refrigerating system including a refrigerant circulating means in the machinery compartment and a cooling element in the food compartment, said cooling element being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom, means for collecting the drip water from said cooling element, osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of the collecting means and into the machinery compartment, and means within the machinery compartment for removing drip water conducted thereto by said osmotic means from the apparatus.

10. A refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet having an insulated food compartment therein and a machinery compartment insulated from and located above the food compartment, a refrigerating system including a refrigerant circulating means in the machinery compartment and a cooling element in the food compartment, said cooling element being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom;'means for collecting the drip water from said cooling element, osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of the collecting means and into the machinery compartment, and air circulating means within the machinery compartment for directing air over the drip water conducted thereto by said osmotic means to cause evaporation of the water and removal thereof from the apparatus.

11. A refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet having an insulated food compartment therein and a machinery compartment insulated from and. located above the food compartment, a refrigerating system including a refrigerant circulating means in the machinery compartment and a cooling element in the food compartment, said cooling element being adapted to collect moisture thereon and to have moisture dripping therefrom,'means for collecting the drip water from said cooling element, osmotic means for conducting the drip water upwardly of the collecting means and into the machinery compartment, and means within the machinery compartment for directing air over the drip water conducted thereto by said osmotic means to cause evaporation of the water and removal thereof from the apparatus, said last named means being operated by said refrigerant circulating means.

12; An apparatus comprising in combination, means for dehumidifying air, osmotic means for conducting moisture away from said dehumidifying-means, and means for causing evaporation of the moisture conducted away from said dehumidifying means.

13. An apparatus comprising in combination, means for dehumidifying air, means for collecting moisture dripping from said dehumidifying means, osmotic means for conducting drip water away from said collecting means, and means for causing evaporation of the water conducted away from said collecting means.

' ROBERT R. CANDOR. 

